Hokuto Shinken
(北斗神拳 Big Dipper God Fist) is an ancient Chinese martial art, dating back 1800 years from China. Its founder was Shuken of the ancient "Hokuto Sōke" ruling line, who combined his Hokuto Sōke no Ken and Seito Gek Ken to create Hokuto Shin Ken. This martial art makes use of the opponents' 708 Keiraku Hikō, also known as tsubo or pressure points. These pressure points destroy the enemy from within. The Hikō can also be used to heal. While a normal fighter uses 30% of his natural abilities, a Hokuto Shin Ken successor knows how to utilize his remaining 70%. Hokuto Shin Ken can also use Tōki (闘気 Fighting Spirit), an expert user can often radiate Tōki from his own body as an aura (Tōki no Aura)Fighting Spirit Aura) whilst focusing it for attacks. It can be used to launch ki-based attacks that can be used to strike targets (even tiny ones, like the Keiraku Hiko) at long range, or, to defend the user from attack. Hokuto Shin Ken follows the Isshi Sōden tradition: it can only be passed down from one father to one son, and there can only be one successor at a time. Sons that do not succeed in becoming successor must never practice the art again, or risk having their memories erased and fists shattered. The ultimate Hokuto Shin Ken technique is the Musō Tensei, which can only be performed by one who completely understands sadness. "Hokuto Shin Ken" is named after the asterism Hokuto Shichi Sei, which is the Japanese name as the Big Dipper. History Hokuto Shinken (北斗神拳 Pinyin：''Beidou Shenquan/ Jyutping: ''Bak Dau San Kyun in its native Chinese) is first described as an 1,800 years old (2,000 years in the TV series and 1986 movie) Chinese assassin's art formed during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The art's power lies into channeling one's energy in a single blow and striking into the 708 points in the human body (also known as acupressure points, power points, vital points, tsubo, etc.). This causes the victim to explode, be controlled involuntarily or otherwise incapacitated. It can also be used to heal certain physical and psychological wounds, such as restoring a person's voice, eyesight or memories, though the main purpose of Hokuto Shin Ken is assassination. The average person uses only 30% of their body's potential strength, but those who had mastered Hokuto Shin Ken can tap into the remaining 70% as well. Hokuto Shin Ken also derives power by using or fighting aura to use the human body's full potential as well as to project energy attacks. These energy attacks can be also used to strike pressure points, as was the case when Kenshiro fought Souther. Due to its deadliness, Hokuto Shin Ken can only have one successor per generation according to the art's law. Students who failed the successorship must renounce the style voluntarily or risk having their memories erased or their fists crushed. Because of this, there has been great competition over who gets to be the successor. Prior to the events of the Hokuto no Ken manga, the successor of Hokuto Shinken was Ryūken, who won the successorship against his rival Kōryū. Ryuken then trained four adopted sons; Raoh, Toki, Jagi and Kenshirō in the art. Kenshiro was chosen by Ryuken to become his successor, although the other brothers still used the style due to Ryuken's death at the hands of Raoh. In the prequel series Souten no Ken, Ryuken (or Ramon Kasumi, as he is called in the series) is revealed to had been the 63rd Grand Master of Hokuto Shinken, preceded by his elder half-brother Kenshirō Kasumi, the 62nd Grand Master. The two brothers learned the style from their father, Tesshin Kasumi, the 61st Grand Master, thereby making the Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star the 64th Grand Master. The role of successor is intertwined with Taoist astrology and legend, being the merciless protector and judge against those that would dare to disrupt peace and order. Late in the series, it is revealed that the founder of Hokuto Shinken is a man named Shuken of the Hokuto Sōke (北斗宗家) bloodline and the ancestor of Kenshiro and Hyoh. Souten no Ken further develops the origins of Hokuto Shinken, where it is revealed that Hokuto Shin Ken is a blending of Shuken's original Hokuto Sōke no Ken and the Keiraku Hikō techniques of Seito Gek Ken. Techniques Techniques listed alphabetically. ㊙ = An "Ōgi" (奥義 secret) technique. Practitioners Denshōsha The rightful successors. *01. Shuken *21. Ryūshō *61. Tesshin Kasumi *62. Kenshirō Kasumi *63. Ryūken *64. Kenshirō Properly Trained Those that were trained but not chosen. *Kōryū *Raoh *Toki *Jagi *Kim *Ryū *possible future denshōsha. Improperly Trained Those that were able to learn some Hokuto no Ken techniques. *Amiba *Bat *Baran *Bronza Fraudlent Practitioners Those that claim knowledge of Hokuto Shin Ken, but probably have no actual knowledge. *Gaira *Gisatsu *Geese ja:北斗神拳 Category:Hokuto no Ken Category:Kenpō